There’s a group in Shanghai called the Shanghai Mamas. These are expat (foreign) women from all over the world living in Shanghai, organizing together to help each other and do good. To me, it looks a lot like the LDS Relief Society. Anyway, these women are really awesome. They banded together to help a New Zealand woman who, while traveling from Europe to New Zealand while 6 months pregnant, went into labor during her brief layover in Shanghai. It has been a remarkably difficult and painful journey for this woman and her husband since their premature baby is now stuck in China and getting everyone home to New Zealand will be difficult and expensive. The story made headlines in New Zealand. 

One of the actions the Shanghai Mamas took to help this woman, Amy, was finding a place where she could stay that was closer to the hospital where the baby was. One of the Shanghai Mamas, an LDS woman, let us know about the situation, and we were able to let Amy move into our apartment the same day I headed to the States for summer vacation. She stayed another week with us after we got back, and we got to also meet her husband. Having them around was value added for us–such enjoyable people in spite of having to brave difficult circumstances. 

The Shanghai Mamas stopped in several times while we were here to bring meals and comfort for Amy. What kindness! And for a complete stranger. I love how these moms naturally organized and went out of their way to help a fellow mom in need. A wonderful example for people of all faiths. So glad we could be involved, also thanks to the Shanghai Mamas. She’s now with other friends to give us more room for when our son comes home from his mission this week, though she didn’t need to move out and we didn’t expect her to. Just very gracious and considerate people. 

Please keep Amy and her family in your prayers. We need some small miracles to get her insurance company (travel insurance) to fulfill their obligations, and we need some miracles to get the baby safely back to New Zealand without family being on the hook for a $200,000 evacuation bill. 

Next time you travel when you are 6 months pregnant or so, make sure you consider these rare but not impossible circumstances. Having a baby in a foreign country and facing incredible red tape and bureaucracy from abroad and from home can put a dent in one’s vacation.